Tribe
Tribes are the names of the competing teams in the game of Survivor. Tribes usually consist of two per season, but there have been seasons where there are three or four at once. Tribes can have anywhere from four to ten players at the start of the game. Tribe Divisons Preset by Production The standard form of division. Tribes are randomly divided into different tribes by production itself before the season begins. * In China, 16 newcomers were divided into two tribes of 9, with an uneven gender ratio. They were joined by two returning players from Hawaii. * In Bahamas, 20 newcomers were divided into two tribes of 10, each with five men and five women. * In Tonga, 18 newcomers were divided into three tribes of 6, each with three men and three women. Divided by Theme Sometimes tribes are divided based on the theme of the season. Tribes divided this way usually have castaways sharing something in common, such as personality traits or gender. * In Mamanuca, the tribes were separated by personality trait with an uneven gender ratio, two tribes of 9 based on how good-hearted or deceitful they are. * In Mexico, the tribes were separated by 10 newcomer fans and 10 fan favorites from the first three seasons. Orizaba had five men and women, while Tapachula had six men and four women. * In Panama, the tribes were separated by gender, 20 castaways total. Five men each on Solarte and Barro, five women each on Saboga and Coiba. * In Philippines, the two tribes of 10 are separated by their success in PSL. All-Stars on Musang and Non-Stars on Kabayo, each with five men and women. Schoolyard Pick A Schoolyard Pick is a situation where the castaways choose their tribe members themselves. Either tribe captains choose them, or each new person joining the tribe gets to choose the next person. * In Cursed Islands, returning winners Smrxi and Hyper each chose 8 out of 16 newcomers to join their tribes. Vangunu had five men and four women, while Rendova had five women and four men. Other * In Hawaii, 16 newcomers were planned to be divided into two tribes of 8, with an uneven gender ratio. However, there were 17 castaways total as Penn couldn't decide between two of them, so both of them had to compete for the last spot. Starting Tribes Starting tribes are formed at the start of the game, each with opposing colors. They compete against each other for immunity and sometimes reward. Each tribe is given a unique name based on the location its season is filmed in. Some tribes can last until the merge, but there are some instances where things are changed up: * Tribe Swap: During a tribe swap, the castaways drop their buffs and draw bags containing new ones. Once told to do so, they open their bags and whatever color the buff is, they go to that corresponding color as a new member of that tribe. Season appearances: all seasons except Mexico. * Tribe Dissolve: A tribe dissolve is when one or more tribes are no longer needed, causing them to disappear and any members of those tribes are sent to join the remaining ones. Season appearances: China, Panama, Tonga. * Mutiny: A mutiny can be offered to the tribes as a way to voluntarily abandon the tribe they are currently on and join the opposing tribe. Season appearances: Mexico. Merged Tribes Once the merge phase hits, all starting tribes are dissolved and the remaining castaways come together as one new tribe. The tribe usually partakes in a feast to celebrate the occasion. This tribe is not named by production, but rather the castaways themselves. Instead of competing as a team, all tribe members now compete for individual immunity; whoever wins cannot be voted out at Tribal Council. Expansion/Auxiliary Tribes An Auxiliary Tribe is a third tribe introduced early in or midway through the pre-merge phase of the game through a Tribe Swap. The castaways of these tribes are usually relocated to a new beach where they must again set camp from scratch. Tribe Colors Per Season